'American Idols Live' tour review: Kradison rules, but Matt Giraud impresses, too!
Michael Slezak
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It’s a credit to the top 10 finalists of American Idol‘s eighth season — or perhaps a discredit to the series’ production team — that almost all of ‘em came off better during their Idols Live Tour set in Newark, N.J. Sunday night than they did during their tenure on Fox’s ratings juggernaut of a reality competition. Whatever the reason for this improvement — freedom from post-performance judgment, lack of weird songbook restrictions, the benefits of on-the-road job training and experience, faux fauxhawks for most of the male contestants — it was an undeniable treat for an Idol geek like myself to see the contestants soar, even if some flew higher than others, and even if the touring band occasionally seemed to take a back seat to pre-recorded musical tracks.
The concert is divided neatly into two acts: The bottom six finishers perform their individual sets in descending order, essentially serving as a great big warmup act to the post-intermission appearances by season 8′s top four (the signed-by-19 trio of Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, and Allison Iraheta, as well as Danny Gokey). It seems, however, that fifth-place finisher Matt Giraud failed to get the memo about his role in the show, as he performed his three-song set with all the energy and charisma of a headliner.
Anoop Desai, Adam Lambert, and That Guy Who Won Show Jersey Some Love
Sharyn Jackson
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The Top 10 American Idol contestants of Season 8 came to Newark, New Jersey on Saturday night. That meant lots of "Whattup New-ARK!"s and "I've always dreamed of performing in Jersey" announcements from the oh-so-sincere singers, who, if you recall (I couldn't), are Megan Joy, Michael Sarver, Scott MacIntyre, Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai, Matt Giraud, Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, and Kris Allen. #10, #9, #8: Uh... oops.
In a race against the punctual, well-oiled machine that is the American Idol tour and its apparently stringent 7pm start time, I allow my bags and my person to be thoroughly frisked in the lobby while someone on stage shouts props to "America!" (I'm certain it's Michael Sarver) and then some mildly inspirational pop music indicates Scott MacIntyre's entrance. I don't actually make it all the way down to my floor seats (aka the seventh circle of hell) until #7-to-get-the-boot Lil Rounds is already singing. So I didn't see Blind Guy and he didn't see me. And wait, that means I missed the oil roughneck AND Megan Joy? Well-timed.
'American Idols Live!' review: Uneven like its TV counterpart
Martin Tsai
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The American Idols Live! Tour 2009 made a stop in Newark on Saturday and Sunday, just about halfway through its 2 1/2-month, 50-city itinerary. Although its TV season concluded in May, fans were clearly not quite ready to let it go. The Prudential Center nearly reached its capacity Saturday evening for the first of the two Newark shows.
Parents and pre-teen girls made up the bulk of the crowd. Some girls brought signs for their favorite singers, but not as many as you'd normally see at a Miley Cyrus or a Jonas Brothers concert. Still, these signs - carefully taped-together fluorescent cardboard adorned with clippings from glossy supermarket tabloids - suggested more dedication and devotion than your average semester-end science presentation.
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